DIY: How To Get Dog Smell Out Of Your Carpet Naturally
Alright! Let’s get this sorted. At Star Domestic Cleaners we know that owning a dog is the best decision you have made, that was the simple part. Cleaning up after it is where all the trouble begins. While it is all fine and dandy to have a playful little four-legged member in the house, things can get messy afterwards.
Carpets enhance the aesthetic of your beautiful abode, but a stain followed by a weird stench does not sound welcoming.
So how do you work on it?
Tried and tested, we bring you simple and effortless, pleasant tips to try right away on one of these stenches related mess.
Now,
How To Get Dog Urine Smell Out Of A Carpet
Urine can leave behind a trail of foul odour in the house if not cleaned up right away. Dogs will pee on your carpet even if it’s once and if you have a well-trained one, they will too lose it sometimes.
To douse the smell and restore that lovely aromatic balance in your home, here are 7 tips from Star Domestic Cleaners to guide you through the time you have to deal with cleaning one before you call for professional carpet cleaning as a last resort or expert end of tenancy cleaning in case of leaving a rental.
Without further ado,
#1. Place A Few Layers Of Paper Towels Over The Affected Area
You can place a few layers of paper towels over the affected area of the carpet to soak up the urine. Give it some time as the process could be sluggish, but it should do the baseline work. Let the paper towel soak in the maximum amount of liquid.
#2. Use Another Clean Towel To Cover
Next, you cover those towels used in the first place to soak the urine with clean towel/towels or multiple layers of newspaper.
Paper towels will soon lose their tenacity in contact with the liquid. It requires additional support to keep the paper and mess intact. This will ensure the cleaning is contained within the radius.
#3. Put Some Newspaper Or Towel Under The Affected Area
You wouldn’t want someone to step on it and then carry that mess around, walking over to the house.
Newspaper or an old rag is going to act as a protective layer and ward off anyone from accidentally stepping on it.
#4. Slightly Press Into The Stain With Your Shoes
Carpets can be embedded with thick layers, often making it hard to clean and harder to dry.
Dabbing it with an old cloth wouldn’t do much. It should be noted, an exertion of force will be required to soak in optimum urine.
#5. Replace Soaked Paper Towels And Newspaper Repeatedly
As it had been mentioned earlier, paper towels or any thin absorbable material isn’t much durable so, although tedious, you may need to repeat the process for optimum cleaning.
#6. Clean The Affected Area Properly With Water And A Clean Towel
If it’s a brand new and colourful towel, remember to wash it first to avoid its dyes transferring onto the carpet. This is a pointer to be extra careful with.
Regardless of the length of the carpet, be sure to clean it underneath too. Leaving behind residue will eventually lead to a weird smell.
#7. Use A Good Quality Vacuum For Cleaning And Drying The Carpet
Steaming the carpet is a great way to diffuse the smell. Your goal would be to abolish any leftover smell to point-blank. Vacuum the carpet twice or more depending on the requirement. For the extra kick, you can spray on fabric freshener too.
How To Get Dried Dog Urine Smells Out Of Carpets
One of the hardest things to come across is working with something that isn’t visible to the naked eye. So how do you work with dried dog urine? It’s certainly not easy but here are some tricky ways for you to try them on your next cleaning errand.
#1. Use UV Flashlight To Detect The Correct Location Of The Stain
UV flashlights are a lifesaver with these pesky stains. The way this works is exactly like those robbery heists in movies.
You simply turn the lights off and turn your UV on. Roll it around the house or the suspected spot. Voila! You have found the source.
#2. Rinse It Well With Water
The best option will be to go for wet vac. If you don’t have any, you can always rent one. The wet vac is great at soaking the carpet with clean water and then sucking up the filthy water.
You might be surprised to know this works like a charm. Other ways could be to spray detergent and water and then use a vacuum to do the soaking up.
#3. Don’t Rely On A Steam Cleaner
The steam cleaner heat can damage your rug by permanently setting the stains. If you don’t want the added mess, the best belief keeps away from using the cleaner. They will diffuse in the air leaving you with a bigger radius to work with.
#4. Buy A Pet Odour Neutraliser
Follow the instructions properly while applying it and to be extra careful not staining the carpet with it, try testing a small area of the carpet first.
There are many pet odour neutralisers that are stocked in your local neighbourhood market.
Whether you are allergic or prefer a no odour, these are ought to do the trick and eliminate any stubborn smell.
#5. Let The Affected Spot Dry Well
Before you decide on having anything else done on the carpet, let the spot be crispy dry. You would not want to reset the process and have those messes spread elsewhere.
Give it a few minutes to dry before handling it again.
#6. Use A High-Quality Carpet Cleaner With Stain Removers
If you still find the stain on the spot, use a high-quality carpet cleaner and stain removers for professional cleaning.
Now, for the most part, the first time does not seem to do the trick but there are great carpet stain removers to help you through the process. This is your last resort but works effectively.
#7. Avoid Using Ammonia Or Vinegar
These chemicals have strong smells and don’t usually work well on removing stains. Instead, your dog may get encouraged in doing “his thing” on the same spot again.
#8. Replace Your Rug If The Padding Underneath Is Affected
It’s better to replace the rug if its padding is wet with urine too since it’s extremely difficult to clean the wet carpet pad. This can be a bummer to process but carpets are embroidered with thick layers.
A wet mess is comparatively easy to clean as opposed to one that has been completely dried out. Have a thorough check on it as well.
How To Get Dog Urine Smell Out Of Carpets – Vinegar & Soda
It’s always easy to try out a DIY when you are fuzzy about products that are sold in the market. If you’re looking for a quick fix before you venture out to get products, this is one not so over-the-top yet effective solution to try at home.
- Mix a solution of one part water with one part white vinegar.
Vinegar works against the ammonia smell in the urine and is a natural cleaner. Vinegar is a natural liquid that has a funny smell but when added to water, neutralises the acidity and the smell. - Pour or spray the vinegar solution onto the carpet where the urine is.
Let the vinegar solution soak for 10 minutes or longer. Vinegar is a natural deodoriser that will not only soak up the smell but the strong acidic components will prevent the urine smell from escaping. - Dab up the vinegar solution with a sponge or paper towel and let dry. Once you have sprayed on your mix and let it do its thing, by now the enzymes in the urine stain had disassembled enough to be picked up. Dabbing on the area with any material that has tiny pores to pick up liquid, will speed the process. Dab until it’s dry enough, so you can pick up the maximum particles.
- When the vinegar solution is almost dry, sprinkle a bit of baking soda onto the wet spot on the carpet. Baking soda is a time-tested odour absorber. Let stand for approximately 15 minutes. This is your icing on the cake. Baking soda protects the urine-stained area from releasing back the little trapped particles from the urine back into the air.
- After 15 minutes, vacuum up the baking soda. The dog urine should be completely removed from the carpet. Once you can no longer sniff a hint of urine smell that is your cue to roll out your vacuum and clean your carpet. Have a thorough clean, to ensure vacuum suction has been evenly done over the entire area.
How To Get The Smell Of Dog Vomit Out Of Carpets
Your worst nightmare is probably stepping on dog vomit after an amazing day. That sure is not the best way to start or end your day. There will be instances where your dog might consume something that gave him an upset stomach.
If there are instances of upchuck which you happen to come across lying on the carpet, don’t fret because you can get to it right away, although we would need you to have patience.
- Use paper towels to get rid of the optimum vomit. Don’t dab on the affected area otherwise, it will just push the solid particles into the carpet, which will be hard to pluck it out of the carpet strands.
- Pick up the mass with a handful of dry paper towels, carefully handling it, making sure to not squash or squeeze it. While handling this, have the softest of force and the firmest of the base. Scoop it up and place it on your palm because holding it on the top of the paper will thin out the base resulting in spillage.
- Use cold water to clean the area which was carpeted and affected. Squirt cold water as warm water on the area will dissolve the vomit particles into smaller ones. Cold water can to some extent solidify the particles giving you enough substance to have a grip on them.
- Load a spray bottle with a sufficient amount of cold water and sprinkle it on the affected carpet area. Finally, while cleaning them further, let the water rest on the carpet to give you a liquid base to help you clean efficiently.
From here, your options split into two, resulting in the following two instances:
Settled-In Vomit Odour Removal
If you have an animal in your house, you’ll know first-hand that they’re really good at hiding their vomit in inconspicuous places. If you happen to find an area with vomit weeks later, there’s still a way to salvage your carpet, unlike tackling a damp and musty smell.
Repeat the same steps as above, but dampen the area with your hydrogen peroxide or distilled white vinegar solution before attempting to pick up the vomit. It will have already seeped and settled into the carpet, so if you attempt to pick up dried vomit, it might rip your carpet.
Vomit That You Can’t Clean Immediately
Life happens, and sometimes the last thing someone is thinking about is cleaning vomit out of the carpet. Specialists Rugcleaninglondon.co.uk share that, If you can’t clean it up immediately, you’re going to need baking soda, a towel, a vacuum cleaner and the same tools and materials as method one.
First, pour baking soda over the area where the vomit is. Then, place a towel over the baking soda and let it sit for 15 minutes or whenever you can clean the mess.
How to Get Dog Faeces Smell Out of Your Carpet
Out of all the worst possibilities, this is your worst nightmare shining brightly at its best. Dog faeces is a hassle when to work with, and cleaning needs extra attention.
Whether you have to get on it right away or have been in a constant battle about handling it, here are some effective tips for you to follow through.
If the case is too bad, take control with all-natural enzymatic cleaners. They will disassemble the particles and help eliminate odour, debris, germs and any other particle that have been left behind from a pet-related accident case.
Our best pick is the recommended vinegar solution for this matter.
Vinegar is acidic. While they are equipped with benefits, there may be adverse effects, so do test the solution in an unnoticeable area before applying it to your carpet.
- With the vinegar solution, to remove maximum residue, just spray some water with the vinegar mix.
- Treat it with the enzymatic cleaner, following the directions on the label. If you are the innovative kind and have ample patience, you can make your own solution with citrus peels, sugar and vinegar. Although fermentation can take weeks, surely you can go for this quick DIY fix.
- If your carpet has been destroyed along with the padding and underneath, then it is your signal to replace the entire carpet. If the odour is still persistent, the carpet must be replaced.
How To Get Dog Pee Smell Out Of Carpets With A Steam Cleaner
Dog pee smell is very stubborn to eliminate as it is a hectic feat to handle. Steam cleaners are tricky as it can also redistribute the smell in the atmosphere of your home. Should you choose to use one, there are some helpful tips to get you top-notch, quality cleaning.
- Take a large towel and soak up as much of the dog urine as you can from the carpet area. This is done to ensure optimum cleansing. Once you pick up most of the liquid with a piece of cloth, if not all, little will be left for you to proceed with.
- Move all furniture out of the room. This will keep you from having just spots of a clean carpet and the rest being discoloured from dirt. You want to clean the entire room, not just the urine spot. Although, it would be easy to get that spot, working with a steam cleaner requires extra effort.
- In the water fill section of the home steam cleaner, put one capful each of white distilled vinegar, liquid odour neutralisers, i.e. mild dishwashing liquid and anti-foamer.
As mentioned earlier, you don’t want the smell to be in the air of your home, so when you are steaming the place, the released vapour will smell like the agent that you have put in.
- Fill the water fill section of the home steam cleaner with warm water to the fill line. Warm water is a better agent for cleaning odd odours than cold water. For steam cleaning to be effective, it is better to have it filled with hot water.
- Steam-clean the entire room with the solution from step 3. Repeat the previous two steps until the entire carpet is cleaned. Go over urine areas twice. Allow sitting on the carpet for one hour.
- Fill the water fill section of the home steam cleaner with nothing but warm, clear water. As you are entering military-grade training to remove even the tiniest urine particle, and de-clutter it from germs, warm water is the best solution.
Lukewarm or mild war should be fine, too hot will erode away or thin out the carpet and may cause damage to your floor too.
- Steam-clean the entire room again with just the warm clear water. Allow to air dry for 24 hours prior to replacing the furniture. Keep the dog out of the area. This should get rid of odour in your carpet and carpet padding.
Getting Rid Of Dog Smell From Your Carpet, Final Remarks
A dog isn’t always an easy member of the family to work with, since you have to be proactive like them when it comes to a mess.
While attending to this can be pesky and hefty of work to deal with, it certainly makes things a lot easier when you have the right guidelines to help you walk through.
Consult our guidelines for those moments when you feel defeated because these are bound to make your cleaning experience a lot easier.
For really bad situations, consider our professional carpet cleaning service – hot water extraction and dry chem cleaning.
Contact us for professional help.